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Friday, April 5, 2013

We have more great giveaways this week! One person will win the first 3 books in the Zom-B series. We also have a signed copy of Dead River by Cyn Balog and copies of The Stone Demon by Karen Mahoney, Inferno by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Revenge of a Not-So-Pretty Girl by Carolita Blythe, and Nine Days by Fred Hiatt. Enter below to win!

Which of this past week's new releases did you enjoy? Which of this next week's releases are you looking forward to?

THIS WEEK'S GIVEAWAY

After escaping a secret military complex amid the zombie apocalypse, B roams the streets of a very changed London, dirty and dangerous and eerily quiet, except for the shuffling of the undead. Once again, B must find a way to survive against brain-eating zombies --and now also against those who have seized control of the city. With danger lurking around every corner and no one to trust, B must decide whether to join the creepy Mr. Dowling in exchange for his protection. When everyone around you is dead, where do you turn for help?

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Zom-B City?

Although Zom-B City is the third book of the series, it is the first not to revolve around a confined location. Much of Zom-B was set in a school under attack from zombies, while all of Zom-B Underground was set in an underground prison complex where soldiers and scientists were conducting experiments on teenagers. In Zom-B City the action opens up, as our main character wanders the streets of London in the wake of a zombie apocalypse.

This was the first chance I had to show the consequences of a living dead uprising, and I loved exploring the deserted streets of a ghost city. We get to meet some survivors, who have all been understandably shaken up and severely disturbed by their encounters with the undead. And we get to meet some creatures who are neither human nor zombie, as it begins to become clear that this will be a zombie series quite unlike any other...

My friends and I are spending prom weekend at a remote wooded cabin on the Dead. The Dead River.

I thought it was going to be just us.

I was wrong. Nothing is what it seems in this creepy paranormal thriller by Cyn Balog.

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Dead River?

When I was just starting out after college, I had a great job in marketing and was really living the dream-- I was making good money and successful, but I was feeling unfulfilled. When my husband had the opportunity to move to a remote part of the country for his job, people thought I was crazy to
let him accept, because it would be impossible for me to work as a marketing manager out there. But I kept thinking, I'd have all this time to write! And I could experience different parts of the country and THAT would give me things to write about! So I tendered my resignation and we moved to the
desert of California, and a year later, up to Maine. It was a roller coaster ride, which often led me to wonder if it was worth all the work, or if I might have been happier and more successful had I just stayed the course in my boring marketing career.

But even though I moved a few times and traveled a lot as well, trying to accumulate "life experience" to write about, until now, the only place I'd ever written about has been where I grew up-- New Jersey. It's been my rut, the place I just normally fall into whenever I start writing. When I started Dead River, though, I realized it was my first time writing based on an experience that happened during those travels after I left my job. Although so many people thought I was crazy and it was a risky move, I feel like Dead River is a product of those years-- something that never could have happened if we hadn't taken that risk.

Faye doesn't mean to hit the old lady she and her friends are mugging. But she does. The old lady isn't moving, but Faye has no reason to feel guilty for leaving her there. The old lady might be ancient and wrinkly now. But back in the day, she was as beautiful as they come, a famous movie star. And everyone knows that pretty and mean always go together. But Faye does feel guilty. So she comes back. Slowly, Faye and the old lady form an unlikely friendship, one that pulls Faye out of her life with her abusive mother and destructive "friends" and allows the old lady relief from her loneliness. But in an unfair world in which the pretty girls, no matter how mean, always seem to get everything, while Faye gets nothing, will Faye be able to keep from slipping back to her old ways? Will her mother ever be happy? Will her father ever come home to stay? And what if Faye goes her whole life without Michael Jackson ever loving her back? Faye is an honest, straightforward narrator who is likable even in her most flawed moments and will be cheered on by readers of every age and from every walk of life.

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Revenge of a Not-So-Pretty Girl?

My favorite thing about Revenge Of A Not-So-Pretty Girl? I have to cheat a little on this because I actually have two favorite things, which I rank equally. The first is Faye's (my protagonist) voice. Although she's only fourteen, Faye has had a pretty complicated life. She's not had a lot of friends, or support, or kind words come her way. It would be easy for her to look at the world through jaded, pessimistic eyes. And while she doesn't hold back from pointing out certain negatives, she does it in a dry, part-humorous way. I think the humor is what keeps her afloat and keeps her from giving up completely on the possibility of one day being happy and having a good life.

My other favorite part of the book is the idea that we all have the ability to change our lives. It's definitely not easy to do, but it's not impossible. We have to be able to recognize and admit that there might be something keeping us down, keeping us from being the person we should and could be. We have to be able to look into ourselves and say, "I've not been generous," or "I've been mean to a particular person," or "I need to exercise and get better about my health." Once the issue is identified, we can begin working on it. Faye sees her faults, admits to them, and slowly begins to change what's in her control, despite the cards she has been dealt. I think that's pretty inspirational.

A fast-paced contemporary thriller in the vein of James Patterson and Anthony Horowitz set against the bustling backdrop of Hong Kong, Vietnam, and the border of China. This heart-pounding adventure takes place as two teens, an American teenage boy and his friend, a Chinese girl from his Washington, DC-area high school, must find her father who has been kidnapped - and they only have nine days. Although the characters in the novel are fictionalized, they are based on a real Chinese family who were part of the Chinese Democracy Movement and inspired this story.

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Nine Days?

I think my favorite part of Nine Days is the friendship between the two main characters and how it evolves over the course of their adventures. Originally I thought the book would be mostly about Ethan, the narrator. But as I worked on the manuscript, his friend Ti-Anna, whose character is inspired in part by a real young woman, Ti-Anna Wang, became a more and more important part of the story. The two of them, tenth-grade classmates, set off from Washington, DC, to Hong Kong, without parental permission, of course, after her father disappears there. He is an exile from China, a fighter for democracy, and Ethan and Ti-Anna fear that his activities have somehow gotten him into big trouble. Over nine days, they get drawn deeper and deeper into worlds they don't totally understand, facing unexpected dangers and having to decide whom they can trust and who is leading them into harm.

All along the way, the adventures test their friendship. Sometimes Ethan has to protect Ti-Anna; sometimes she has to rescue him. Under unimaginable pressure, they anger each other, exasperate each other, amuse each other. They are in many ways an unlikely pair from the start. But when it matters, they stand by each other in ways that surprise even them. I like that.

The stunning conclusion to the international mega-hit seriesThe just-unleashed demon hordes have delivered an impossible ultimatum to the Order of the Crow: produce the Philosopher's Stone, or suffer a reaper storm of demonic tribulation. If alchemist's apprentice Donna Underwood can't recreate the mythical artifact, the world will be plunged into a devastating modern-day Dark Age. Pitting her dangerously unpredictable powers against a vengeful demon king, two maleficent faery queens, and an immortal magus with his own shadowy agenda, Donna must be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, but this time, even death may not be enough.

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about The Stone Demon (Iron Witch)?

This is difficult to answer because The Stone Demon is the final book of my trilogy - the culmination of an idea that first took root in my mind way back in 2007. The books, and the characters, are very special to me. But if I had to say just ONE thing that's my favorite, I would have to say how cool it has been to put Donna in so many different locations. The first two books are set pretty firmly in Ironbridge, Massachusetts (the town I created for the ongoing battle between alchemists and fey), but The Stone Demon opens in my own city of London. Donna also travels to more than one kingdom ruled by the demons (I won't spoil any of the details!), as well as returning to Ironbridge for the epic showdown. Oh, and there's one other realm she visits, but again... I'd better not say any more. You'll have to read the book to find out what I'm talking about, but I definitely had a lot of fun coming up with my own vision of some classic folkloric locations. I hope you enjoy traveling alongside Donna, Navin and Xan as we bring The Iron Witch trilogy to a conclusion!

Nick has his driver's license and he's not afraid to use it. But turning sixteen isn't what he thought it would be. While other boys his age are worried about prom dates and applying for college, Nick is neck deep in enemies out to stop him from living another day. No longer sure if he can trust anyone, his only ally seems to be the one person he's been told will ultimately kill him.

But life spent serving the undead is anything except ordinary. And those out to get him have summoned an ancient force so powerful even the gods fear it. As Nick learns to command and control the elements, the one he must master in order to combat his latest foe is the one most likely to destroy him. As the old proverb goes, fire knows nothing of mercy, and if Nick is to survive this latest round, he will have to sacrifice a part of himself. However, the best sacrifice is seldom the sanest move. Sometimes it's the one that leaves your enemies confused.

And sometimes, you have to trust your enemy to save your friends. But what do you do when that enemy is you?

LAST WEEK'S GIVEAWAY WINNERS

The heart-stopping final book in the Darkness Rising trilogy, from New York Times-bestselling author Kelley Armstrong!
Things are getting desperate for Maya and her friends. Hunted by two powerful Cabals, they're quickly running out of places to hide. And with the whole world thinking they died in a helicopter crash, they can't simply go to the authorities for help. All they have is the name and number of someone who might be able to give them a few answers. Answers to why they're so valuable to the Cabals, and why their supernatural powers are getting more out of control. Maya is unprepared for the truths that await her, but she'll have to face them if she ever hopes to move on with her life. Because she can't keep running forever.
With all the twists, thrills, and romance that have made Kelley Armstrong an international bestseller--plus the surprising return of some favourite characters--The Rising will keep you under its spell long after the last page is turned.

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about The Rising (Darkness Rising)?

My favourite thing about The Rising was that I finally got to wrap up a story line that's been going for six books. This is the culmination of the Darkness Rising trilogy, but it's also the culmination of the Darkest Powers trilogy. At the end of the Darkest Powers, I'd left those characters in a
relatively safe place. Their journey wasn't over, though, as readers realized. They needed firmer ground to stand on and a better solution to their problem. When I left those characters behind, I switched to a new set, clear across North America, facing a similar problem rising from the same
source. Separately, these two groups couldn't solve their problem. Together, though? That was different. They both brought some skills and some knowledge, and when I put the two together, I finally had a winning team.
The thrill of writing The Rising wasn't just about resolving a problem, though. It was bringing those past characters back again, which is always exciting. Having them interact with my current characters--for better or worse--really made this book a lot of fun.

When she lost her soul mate, Caleb, Eve felt like her world had ended. Trapped in the palace, forced to play the part of the happy, patriotic princess of The New America, and the blushing bride of her father's top adviser, Eve's whole life is a lie. The only thing that keeps her going is Caleb's memory, and the revolution he started.

Now, Eve is taking over where Caleb left off. With the help of Moss, an undercover subversive in the King's court, she plots to take down The New America, beginning with the capital, the City of Sand. Will Eve be able to bring about a new, free world when she's called upon to perform the ultimate act of rebellion - killing her father?

In Rise, Eve must choose who to leave behind, who to save, and who to fight as Anna Carey's epic tale of romance and sacrifice in the chilling dystopia of The New America comes to a stunning conclusion.

Four months after Ben disappeared through the portal to his home universe, Janelle believes she'll never see him again. Her world is still devastated, but life is finally starting to resume some kind of normalcy. Until Interverse Agent Taylor Barclay shows up. Somebody from an alternate universe is running a human trafficking ring, kidnapping people and selling them on different Earths, and Ben is the prime suspect. Now his family has been imprisoned and will be executed if Ben doesn't turn himself over within five days.

And when Janelle learns that someone she cares about, someone from her own world, has become one of the missing, she knows that she has to help Barclay, regardless of the danger. Now Janelle has five days to track down the real culprit. Five days to locate the missing people before they're lost forever. Five days to reunite with the boy who stole her heart. But as the clues begin to add up, Janelle realizes that she's in way over her head, and that she may not have known Ben as well as she thought. Can she uncover the truth before everyone she cares about is killed?

When telling a story, the old adage is usually "write what you know," and with WHITE LINES, I've done just that. My favorite thing about the book is the ay it deals with real issues: divorce, physical and emotional abuse, neglect, drug use and addiction--some of which I've experienced first-hand, some not. What could I tell you about growing up on my own at 17, in the heart of the Lower East Side? Should I tell you about the smell of roasting nuts hovering over the sidewalks in the dead of winter? The way the punks and goths roamed the streets surrounding St. Marks Place like predatory cats, the jangling metal chains on their leather jackets transmitting the most beautiful and melodious music? How the pavement of my stoop burned my thighs at the apex of summer as I sat out there for hours, graffiti streaking the buildings all around me with no parents to beckon me inside as
darkness fell, watching the blue sky downshift into dusk? Or how I found myself one late night outside a club in the meatpacking district, an invite clutched in one sweaty hand, my pulse thudding its own discordant melody of desire and fear in those brief moments before I was chosen from the thrumming crowd, chosen and raised up into the light . . .

Although I've certainly drawn inspiration from my own life, WHITE LINES is a work of fiction, and Cat's story is entirely her own. Well, almost. In those long, hard hours spent bent over our computers,every writer dreams in their secret heart of making an impact, of touching the lives and hearts of her readers, and I'm no exception. Cat's story is absolutely her own, but I hope, in some small, flickering way, it will be yours too, that she can come to live in your heart the way she's occupied mine for almost three years now. That you might offer her a safe haven where the music never stops, and where the rush of love is not merely chemical, but real. Genuine.

Jamee Wills never expected Vanessa Pierce and her friends to go this far. The trouble begins at cheerleading practice when Vanessa starts teasing Angel McAllister, a shy new girl at Bluford High. When the insults turn nasty, Jamee tries to stop them. She wins Angel's friendship but makes many enemies. Now Jamee is a target, and someone is texting lies and pictures of her all over school. Unwilling to tell her family or snitch on her fellow cheerleaders, Jamee is cornered. Will her next move solve her problems--or make them worse?

Jimmer "JD" Dobbs is back in town after spending the summer "upstate." No one believes his story about visiting his aunt, and it's pretty clear that he has something to hide. It's also pretty clear that his mom made a new friend while he was away---a rescued Rottweiler that JD immediately renames Johnny Rotten (yes, after that guy in the Sex Pistols). Both tough but damaged, JD and Johnny slowly learn to trust each other, but their newfound bond is threatened by a treacherous friend and one snap of Johnny's powerful jaws. As the secrets JD has tried so hard to keep under wraps start to unravel, he suddenly has something much bigger to worry about: saving his dog.

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Rotten?

My favorite thing about Rotten is that one of the main characters is a dog: a rescued Rottweiler named Johnny Rotten (JR for short). Dogs have individual personalities, just like people, but very different priorities. Normally when one of my characters encounters something I ask myself, How would he/she respond to it? The answer might be something like: He/she would say something or make a mental note of it or whatever. I asked myself the same question with JR, but the answer was often more like: He'd sniff, bark at, or possibly pee on it. So much more proactive!

I also like the way the two main characters parallel each other. JD is a 16-year-old boy who's been in some trouble, and JR is a dog that's been abused. They both have tough exteriors and have to learn to let down their defenses and trust each other.

Sybella arrives at the convent's doorstep half mad with grief and despair. Those that serve Death are only too happy to offer her refuge, but at a price. Naturally skilled in both the arts of death and seduction, the convent views Sybella as one of their most dangerous weapons.

But those assassin's skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to a life that nearly drove her mad. Her father's rage and brutality are terrifying, and her brother's love is equally monstrous. And while Sybella is a weapon of justice wrought by the god of Death himself, He must give her a reason to live. When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dungeons, will a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for?

This heart-pounding sequel to Grave Mercy serves betrayal, treachery, and danger in equal measure, bringing readers back to fifteenth century Brittany and will keep them on the edge of their seats.

IN STORES NEXT WEEK WITH AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

All Dylan wants is mojo. What is mojo? It's power. The ability to command respect. It's everything Dylan doesn't have. He gets no respect at school, and when he finds the dead body of a classmate, even the police push him around. All the thanks he gets for trying to help the investigation with his crime drama skills is a new nickname at school: Body Bag. So when Dylan hears about a missing rich girl from the other side of town, he jumps at the chance to dive into this mystery. Surely if he cracks a case involving a girl this beautiful and this rich, he'll get not only a hefty cash reward, but the mojo he's looking for.

His investigation takes him into the world of an elite private high school and an underground club called Gangland. As Dylan, along with his loyal friends Audrey and Randy, falls down the rabbit hole, lured by the power of privilege, he begins to lose himself. And the stakes of the game keep getting higher.

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Mojo?

My favorite thing about Mojo? Gangland. That's the underground club where kids from elite private schools hang out .Maybe they know something about the sudden disappearance of the rich and gorgeous blonde, Ashton Browning, and maybe they don't, but Dylan Jones is determined to find out. Beyond the secret door of Gangland, framed posters of gangsta rappers and movie tough guys gleam on the brick walls, the music plays loud, beautiful girls swirl through the dimly lit haze, and the entertainment gets more bizarre with every visit. No wonder Dylan gets addicted to going there. But you know about addictions, don't you? They can be deadly.

MORE RELEASES IN STORES NEXT WEEK

Brimming with romance and danger, the suspenseful Ripper series continuesThe Conclave, a secret group with twisted ideals and freakish practices, has been wiped out, thanks to Arabella Sharp. Now there's a new malevolence afoot. Fishermen are getting killed, their partially devoured bodies washing up on the shores of Scotland. Is the Ripper responsible? Or have the Conclave's sinister experiments left behind something more monstrous? Abbie fears the worst when her beloved Dr. William Siddal vanishes. To save the man she loves, Abbie must comply with the Ripper's dreadful orders, and put her own life in grave danger.

For as long as Lily Winston can remember, she has never been alone. Iris, a shadowy figure who mimics Lily's movements and whispers in her ear, is with her always -- but invisible to the rest of the world. Iris is Lily's secret. But when Lily's father is killed in a tragic accident, his cryptic final words suggest that he and Lily's mother have been hiding secrets of their own. Suddenly, Iris begins pushing Lily more than ever, possessing her thoughts and urging her to put together the pieces of a strange puzzle her father left behind. As she searches for answers, Lily finds herself drawn to Ty Collier, a mysterious new boy in town. Together, Lily and Ty must untangle a web of deception to discover the truth about her family, Iris -- and Lily's own identity.

The Shadow Girl is a chilling, mind-bending mystery filled with stunning twists, haunting reveals, and a realistic setting with a supernatural touch that's perfect for fans of Before I Fall and If I Stay.

17-year-old Sophie lies on her deathbed in California, awaiting the inevitable loss of her battle with cancer.17-year-old Declan stares down two armed thugs in a back alley in Galway, Ireland.17-year-old Anat attempts to traverse a booby-trapped tunnel between Israel and Egypt.

All three strangers should have died at the exact same moment, thousands of miles apart. Instead, they awaken together in an abandoned hospital, only to discover that they're not alone. Three other teens from different places on the globe are trapped with them. Somebody or something seems to be pulling the strings. With their individual clocks ticking, they must band together if they're to have any hope of surviving.

Soon they discover that they've been trapped in a future that isn't of their making: a deadly, desolate world at once entirely familiar and utterly strange. Each teen harbors a secret, but only one holds the key that could get them home. As the truth comes to light through the eyes of Sophie, Declan, and Anat, the reader is taken on a dark and unforgettable journey into the hearts of teens who must decide what to do with a second chance at life.

A new series about teenage witches and their troubling family legacyJustin Daggett, his trouble-making sister,and their three orphan-witch friends havegotten themselves kicked out of high school.Again. Now they've ended up in CarrowMills, New York, the town where their parents, members of the terrorist witch organizationknown as Moonset, began their evilexperiments with the dark arts one generationago.When the siblings are accused of unleashingblack magic on the town, Justin fightsto prove their innocence. But tracking downthe true culprit leads him to a terrifyingdiscovery about Moonset's past . . . and itsdeadly future.

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LOVE FOR TWO LIFETIMES by MARTINA BOONE

Everything, Everything meets Nicholas Sparks: Chasing clues in her mother’s unsent love letters, Izzy steps into a world of English royalty to find her father and falls in love with a young aristocrat—only to discover he may be her brother...

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The March 1st 5 Pages workshop will open for submissions on Saturday, March 7 at noon, ET. It's a great opportunity for selected participants to be mentored by three published authors through three rounds of revisions and to receive additional feedback from our literary agent mentor on their first five pages and their pitch. The agent mentor will select the best of the five manuscripts in the workshop and offer additional feedback to the author, and perhaps to additional participants.

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